Underneath Everything
by insouciance18
Summary: Everyone wondered why they were together. Mimi is cheery and Yamato is broody. She's talkative and he's usually detached. Well, it's underneath everything that really matters, right? A collection of oneshots featuring Mimi and Yamato's relationship.
1. Jersey

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. If I do, Mimato would have been canon.

A/N: Hi! This is my first fanfiction in a long time. I was inspired to write again when I read stories from **starrymilk** and **Scripturiens**. They write stories that are so elaborate and in depth and I guess I want to try that one too. But nevertheless, I fail. This collection of oneshots may or may not be related from each other. I wanted to write something that shows how Mimi and Yamato are so different on the outside that you're so sure they wouldn't have a chance in love but deep inside there's a connection there that no one can understand. And that they show their true selves only with each other. I'm ranting, sorry. But I hope you enjoy this and leave a review!

* * *

He glared at her as she approached him. His forehead creased, eyebrows meeting and the corner of his lips curled into a frown. He resisted the urge to groan at her. If not for her hips swaying and cheery smile, he would turn around and ignore her.

The look on his face made her smile falter and a worried expression replaced it. She fastened her pace, eager to quell her curiosity. Mimi Tachikawa was used to a brooding and nonchalant Yamato Ishida but a glaring Yamato is not something she's accustomed with.

As she neared him, his glare deepened. Yamato eyed her shirt, his gaze so intense, Mimi swore that he was boring a hole in it. The blue shirt signifying their school color was too big for her. It hid all her curves and went past her mid-thigh. She tucked the center of the shirt to her pants in an attempt to make it look fashionable. Of course, he knew Mimi Tachikawa can pull off any outfit.

And that included Taichi Yagami's soccer jersey. The number 10 in bold white colors on the right side of her chest was a confirmation to his accusations. Yamato ran his fingers through his golden locks, messing up his perfectly waxed hair, frustrated from the circumstances.

"What's wrong?" Mimi asked, her voice so low, Yamato wasn't sure if he heard it. Mimi's pleading eyes staring into his was proof enough that he did hear her. Yamato shrugged, keeping his cool. They were in a crowded hallway and all eyes were on them. He hated the attention and right now, he was not going to attract even more attention by voicing out his thoughts. Currently, his girlfriend was not helping in dispersing the curious eyes away from them what with her shirt and growing anger.

"Are you seriously giving me that right now?" she demanded. Mimi's mood was dampening by the minute. She did not need a fight with his boyfriend after the fiasco that occurred to her earlier in the day. It was like her day kept on getting worse. When she didn't get a response from Yamato, her hands quickly flew to the side of her head as if it could help with her growing headache.

Yamato was about to calm down and explain his mood to his girlfriend but once he caught sight of bushy brown hair, all thoughts left him. Taichi was laughing, his voice loud enough to be heard in the noisy hallway. Yamato scowled at his friend and unfortunately for him, Mimi mistook the gesture. His gaze automatically following her retreating figure.

"Mimi!" He sauntered towards her, catching up to her in minutes. Mimi silently cursed him for being blessed with long legs.

She quickly turned to face him, so quick that Yamato was sure she would snap her neck. "Now you're talking to me? What the hell did I do to you that got you so mad?"

Yamato stopped in his tracks. Ruffling the back of his head, face turned away from her. He caught sight of the soccer star and mouthed a quick "fuck off" to which the brunette responded with an even more boisterous laugh. Mimi who saw the entire exchange, raised a perfectly shaped brow. Her boyfriend was usually aloof yet level-headed but he wouldn't normally get mad at her without even getting an explanation from him.

"Well?" she probed. Her patience had ran out and Yamato's weird actions was frustrating her. She gave Taichi a look as he passed by them who was at the moment stifling the sounds coming from his mouth.

"It's not you I'm mad at. It's Taichi." Yamato stated as soon as he was sure Taichi was out of earshot. His eyes looked at the floor, then the nearby lockers and then at the roof, focusing anywhere but Mimi's face. He was sure his ears were red by then and he knew Mimi would notice them.

Mimi took notice of the flustered blond in front of her and wondered why the usually cool guy was in a disheveled state. Her face contorted from angry to confused within a second. Yamato was sure Mimi would never drop the issue unless he elaborated what he meant. And he knew she was going to yank it out of him even if they were going to be late for their next class.

Without waiting for Mimi's question, Yamato answered her. "Your shirt."

"What about it?"

"It's Taichi's."

"So?"

"I don't like it."

There was a pause. Mimi just stood there, frozen. Her wine colored eyes searched Yamato's deep blue ones for some kind of explanation. After a minute, realization crept inside of her.

"Oh." She muttered.

"Yeah." Yamato replied, still not looking at her. His ears more prominently red.

Mimi tried her best to keep her giggles. If Yamato hears even a small chuckle from her, she knew he would walk out from her. She was flattered that her boyfriend of three years would still get jealous of his best friend despite the platonic relationship she had with the soccer player. The fact that Yamato normally doesn't react to anything like boys hitting on her every day or getting stared at whenever she passed by, finally getting a reaction from him felt like an accomplishment on her behalf.

She failed miserably in hiding her laughter and just like she expected it, Yamato bolted away from her. She ran to his side and wrapped her forearm to his. Mimi rubbed her cheeks to his arm like a cat begging to be played with. Yamato took the courage to look at her and Mimi smiled in return.

"My shirt got drenched with grape juice earlier. I didn't have my gym clothes and Sora and Hikari are smaller than me. So." She dragged on but Yamato was still waiting for an explanation. He tugged at his collar as he realized the implication about the two girls being smaller than her. Yamato tried to clear his thoughts of other guys ogling at Mimi wearing a very tight shirt.

"Taichi was there and lent me his extra jersey. He told me he had no problem with it. But apparently, you do." She finished.

"Mimi" Yamato faced her. "Next time, you look for me, okay?"

"But I know you didn't bring an extra shirt." Mimi replied.

Yamato was about to say he brought one but stopped midway knowing that he would be caught in his own lies. Mimi knew him too well.

"Thought so." Mimi remarked as if reading Yamato's mind. A smug smile was plastered on her face and she knew Yamato was tempted to wipe it off. When Yamato didn't reply, Mimi took the chance to grab his shoulders and pulled him towards her. She gave him a quick peck on the lips and immediately ran ahead of him.

When she was a few steps away from him, she turned to face Yamato. Her hands were clasped behind her and her body was slightly angled towards the left. "How about next time you stock up clothes in your locker, okay?" And she dashed towards the direction of her next class just as the warning bell rang.

Yamato gave out a small smile and all thoughts of killing Taichi disappeared.

"Damn, you get possessive but still get kisses? You lucky dog!" Taichi said while giving Yamato's back a slap.

And here he thought he would let his best friend's annoying pranks go.

* * *

That night Mimi visited the Ishida residence still wearing the blue jersey. Yamato opened his drawers and took out a black shirt with Teenage Wolves written in front of it. He pushed Mimi towards his bathroom and shoved the shirt to her hands, demanding that she wore that instead. His girlfriend tried to reason with him saying that it was his favorite but he wouldn't hear any of it and only threatened her by saying that he would cut Taichi's jersey in to pieces if she didn't change.

In the end, Taichi never got his jersey back.


	2. Comfortably Uncomfortable

**Author's Note:** Merry Christmas, everyone! This is my gift to all of you! I hope you enjoyed it as much I enjoyed writing it. A quick warning though, I reread this piece so many times but I suck at proofreading. But constructive criticism are always welcome.

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

 **Comfortably Uncomfortable**

It was a prediction in their close knit of friends that Sora and Yamato would end up together. Somehow, Yamato can see that possibility. He and Sora complemented each other so well that he tested out everyone's theory. It was nice. He liked it but along the one year long relationship, Yamato always ends up staring at the ceiling of his bedroom and agree with himself that the feeling was nice, it was comfortable but it wasn't exactly making the two of them happy.

They go on days without meaningful conversations. In the summer, they don't see much of each other. The moment that they finally do, they just sit in silence at their spot in a small Italian restaurant. And in school, they're always surrounded by their friends that they don't get to talk much.

Yamato thought it was becoming too routine for them. Sora felt like they were monotonous and frankly speaking, finding things for them to talk about was getting tedious for her. And so, the relationship didn't last long. They parted ways, preferring to stay friends who exchanged records every now and then than be a couple that always ran out of things to say to each other.

* * *

And then one summer night before his junior year, Yamato got to know Mimi. Not the superficial Mimi who wore pink all the time when they were kids. No, he really got to know the Mimi who love plants so much that she just had to leave the house party Taichi, Yamato, Sora and her were currently at just to water her gardens because she forgot. Being the introverted person that he was, he used the opportunity to escape the loud place.

He took her home. She kept on talking about plants on the way but surprisingly she didn't urge Yamato to reply. He thought about radios and how Mimi is so similar to one. The comparison alone amused him that he let out a small snort. It was so low that Yamato was sure Mimi didn't hear him but upon catching the furrowed brows on the brunette's face, he got worried.

"What's so funny?" she asked, face contorted in a way that Yamato didn't know if it was out of embarrassment or anger.

"I'm sorry, that came out wrong. I was thinking of something else." He replied nonchalantly. His eyes focused on the road in front of him.

"Oh, what about?"

Her sudden question stunned him. Not only because he didn't know if he can answer truthfully without getting her offended but also because he wasn't used to having conversations with the girl beside him. He glanced towards her direction and caught the curious look she gave him. It amused him how her expressions kept on changing every now and then.

Yamato debated if he should tell her that he thought of her as a radio and end up being misunderstood or just go with the safe yet very out of character reply. The latter outweighed the former. "It's a secret."

In the corner of his eyes, he could see her pout. Again, her ever changing emotions bewildered him. When she didn't probe on the issue, he was kind of disappointed because he was certainly having fun teasing her albeit the thought of a conversation with her felt like talking to a stranger.

Mimi crossed her arms above her chest and gave out an exasperated sigh and whispered "whatever". After a few seconds, she took out her phone and plugged in the auxiliary cord. An alternative song, something Yamato wasn't accustomed to, blared on the speakers.

Before he can even process the fact that it wasn't a pop song he was so sure Mimi often listened to, her sudden confession broke his chain of thoughts.

"Contrary to popular belief, I don't like listening to pop songs." She stated and in a low voice added, "All the time."

Yamato had to strain his ears just to hear her but being stuck on a closed space didn't really help Mimi much. She expected Yamato to just click his tongue in reply like what he usually does but hearing him laugh in a way that's too hearty for his own good made her flinch in response. Her reaction made him laugh even more rather than make him feel insulted.

"I can laugh too, you know."

"Yeah but it's weird if it's just the two of us."

Her reply instantly made him quiet. A very uncomfortable silence between the two of them followed. The song that Mimi chose earlier suddenly paused as if it knew just when to be dramatic and for a split second, the hum of the engine was the only sound that could be heard.

Yamato sighed. He knew the brunette held some kind of grudge against his aloof behavior towards her judging from her tone of voice. He was too perceptive and sometimes he wished that he wasn't. Upon hearing the return of strumming of guitars on the speakers, he took it as a cue to apologize for his actions.

"Look, Mimi. I'm sorry we don't get to talk much. It's like we're never in the same circle of friends-" she cut him off midsentence.

"We share the same circle of friends."

Resisting an exasperated groan, Yamato continued, "Okay, we share the same circle of friends but there wasn't any opportunity for us to get to know each other better-"

"Because we're too different." She stated rather than asked because the fact alone was too obvious to be questioned.

This time, Yamato didn't hold back a growl. If there was anything Yamato Ishida hated, it was being interrupted. The urge to just ignore her and leave her hanging was getting more and more tempting. But he knew he had to grow out of his past and break down the walls he built for himself. He hurt too many people by being that person. Takeru, Taichi, his parents, Sora, the list just went on. It took years to finally figure everything out. Maybe starting his change with Mimi wasn't exactly a bad idea.

"Yeah, we are. But it doesn't really mean we can't build a friendship, right?" Yamato asked, turning to face the chestnut-haired girl while turning off his car.

Mimi didn't even realize that they were outside her house. She was too distracted at the blond's beaming face. It was so genuine that she was so sure she was dreaming. Shaking out of her reverie, she returned the smile with one of her own.

"Well, Yamato, this is a start of a wonderful friendship."

* * *

He wasn't sure how they managed to still converse after that fateful night. All he remembered was how persistent Mimi was the next day at school. In her own terms, "they simply need to bond with each other". Moments that were usually his time alone were replaced with him and Mimi's moments. Most of their spare time were spent at the library. Him reading some newspaper and her skimming through her magazine and making comments at how ludicrous it was to actually follow an advice written there. And in the end, they would be in a heated argument about some issue she finds on the cover of his paper.

What was really becoming evident was the fact that not only is his time at school being occupied by her but also his time at home was being shared with her. Mimi would randomly send him a text and he would in turn send a short reply. And Mimi being the person who is too impatient to wait for his message, would immediately call him afterwards.

Their late night phone calls would drag on until three in the morning and they weren't the least bothered by it. Even if they have to wake up early for school. It was surprising how their friendship moved so fast that everyone noticed it. But nonetheless, never thought much of it. After all, they were too different to actually think of something more than friendship.

A year into their blossoming friendship and Yamato finds himself anticipating her call. He was never the one to initiate their phone calls unless absolutely necessary. His wall clock read fifteen minutes past eleven and Yamato knew Mimi would have called him already an hour ago. He glanced at his clock again and when there were no signs that she would call, he immediately dialed her number.

Mimi didn't answer on the first ring nor the second and third after that. When he heard her soft "hello", he finally gave out a sigh of relief.

"Where the hell are you?" Yamato yelled, too loud for his liking.

"Stop calling me." Was her short reply.

"Don't move, I'm going over there now."

It was amazing how Yamato didn't even have to ask for her whereabouts and he instantly knew where to find her. Sitting at the swings was Mimi, her head hung low and Yamato was pretty sure she has been sitting there for hours now.

"Hey." Yamato said, dropping to her eye level and resting his one knee on the ground.

Mimi raised her head to meet him. Brown met blue. Her wine-colored eyes were so transparent that anyone can practically see so many stories behind it. His swirling sea of azure eyes were speaking volumes but revealed nothing.

"Did your parents call?" he asked and she gave a nod in reply. "It's going to be okay."

He didn't need to ask her what transpired, Yamato just embraced her and allowed her to cry in his arms. Mimi was a happy person but she was lonely at the same time. Not even him could have expected that from her what with her bright persona. But who would have thought that underneath it was a girl that was hurting for too long?

* * *

On the autumn of his senior year in high school, Yamato Ishida got to really see Mimi Tachikawa. He was becoming more and more aware of how her hair would bounce with every movement or how she would divide her food first in to small parts before eating it part by part.

It was becoming outrageous how attentive he was to all the little things about her that he usually would have waved off if it were a normal day. And the boys who flock towards her were more annoying than ever.

What's even more annoying was the question Taichi asked him out of the blue while in a heated game of World of Warcraft at his apartment.

"Should I ask Mimi out?" Five words that simply demanded a yes or no answer and yet he had to pause before answering them. Taichi was his best friend and so was Mimi, apparently. If he would let anyone near Mimi, it had to be Taichi. But the thought didn't quite sit well with him. It made him feel queasy.

One glance at the bushy-haired brunette and all he could muster was a very firm "No."

* * *

"Is it true, did you tell Taichi not to date me?" Mimi asked.

They were at the stairs heading to the school's rooftop. On their lunch break, Mimi suddenly barged in to their room and grabbed a very clueless Yamato, dragging him to the current location they were at.

Yamato turned his face to the side, evading her prodding eyes. He just gave her a shrug and a trademark "Hn" reply. Great, Taichi just had to tell Mimi everything. Yamato was convinced Taichi was out to get him. But then again, he did act like a dick to him by cockblocking his possible romance with Mimi. Still, Yamato had to do it. Because Mimi was special. Mimi was different. Mimi was comfortably uncomfortable. They were different but in so many ways they were the same. But he didn't have to mention that to her.

"You're such a dick."

Silence.

"Jerk."

Silence.

"I don't want to be friends with you anymore."

Finally, she got a reaction from him. Seeing his eyes turn big at her announcement made her want to laugh so bad but she tried her best to fight it.

"You're such a drama queen, you know that?" he replied, fuming.

"I'm in love with you, Yamato."

He froze but regained his composure after a millisecond. "Then I don't want to be friends with you anymore."

The doubt in her eyes were replaced with sadness. And Yamato just knew what he loved about Mimi Tachikawa the most. She wasn't predictable, no. She was a bundle of emotions hidden under another bundle of emotions. And he liked unwrapping every layer of it.

"Because I'm in love with you too."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** OH MY GOD, the replies are overwhelming. Thank you so much! Truth be told, this story started out way different from this. I have the original introduction on my drive and I might finish that one with a different plot. That's why it took so long for me to update this. I'm so sorry.

Taishou, Reniel Moza and SingerOfYesterday: Thank you for reviewing, it was really sweet of you.

soojinah: Aw, I know what you mean. And I just love Yamato-Mimi-Tai. They are the triangles EVER. Yamato's too cool to do anything for Taichi. LOL.

starrymilk and Scripturiens: OH MY S**T. I had the intention of publishing but never in a million years did I expect to get a feedback from you guys. You both are like the God/s or Goddess/es of Mimato fanfiction. I worship the ground you walk in. Okay, seriously, though this is an honor. I'm so happy. I remember when I received an email that you dropped a review, I had to brag about it to my boyfriend.

starrymilk: Yeah, I know what you mean. Mimato fanfics are the best. The authors explore so much on character development that it just blows your mind. And is it just me or do we have the biggest fanbase? *wink* I'm so happy that you like my writing albeit somewhat messy. I do agree with that. But I really want to write and maybe improve in time. I hope I wasn't out of character with this one. Thank you again!

Scripturiens: I totally see Yamato as the more understanding less jealous type! Your story, Broken Hearts Parade, perfected the Yamato we all love. I tried with the jealous type but I guess it was too OOC? I tried with a more in character Yamato here and I hope it's IN character. If that even makes sense. I know what you mean, you can ship Mimi with everyone but the Yamato – Mimi – Tai triangle is so adorable. Hope this one is more to your liking and I hope to improve someday. Thank you once again.

MimixIshida: Are you really? Half of my high school life was dedicated to waiting for your updates for Polar Opposites. I went under a different name then. If I remember correctly, I was charismadollarielle. With crazy capitalized letters one after the other. Forgive me, I was 14-15 at that time. I'm so happy that you got to drop a message. I think the broody Yamato was influenced by your stories and Brucas which also plays a role in your stories. LOL. Oh, I'm so sorry for the mistakes. I sometimes write thinking that everyone understands it. I hope this one is less messier than the other and that it's more to your liking. Thank you!


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